Vibratory mucosa-removing tool

ABSTRACT

A tool adapted to be used in connection with the introduction of an implant into a mucosa-lined body cavity. The tool has an elongated mucosa-engaging structure the size and configuration of which is suited for introduction into a mucosa-lined body cavity into engagement with mucosa therein. A vibrating unit is operatively connected with this mucosa-engaging structure to vibrate the latter so that in response to the vibratory movement the mucosa-engaging structure will remove a mucosa lining from the interior of a body cavity.

I United States Patent 11 1 1111 3,884,239 Bucalo May 20, 1975 [54] VIBRATORY MUCOSA-REMOVING TOOL 3,315,663 4/1967 Goldfarb 128/4 3,540,432 1] l970 A l 8 304 X [75] Inventor! Luis Bum", Holbrook 3,565,062 2/1971 125/24 A 73 Assignee; Investors In ventures Inc" New 3,587,588 6/1971 Murr 128/341 York, NY. I T l k Primary Examiner-Da ton L. ru uc [22] Flled: 1973 Attorney, Agent, or FirmSteinberg & Blake [21] App]. No.: 407,990

Related US. Application Data [57] ABSTRACT [63] continuatiomimpart of Sen NO. 359,429, May H A tool adapted to be used in connectlon with the 1ntroduction of an implant into a mucosa-lined body cavity. The tool has an elongated mucosa-engaging 52 us. 01 128/304; 15/104.16 Structure the Size and Configuration of which is Suited [51] Int. Cl A6la 17/22 for introduction into a mucosa-lined y Cavity into [58] Field of Search 128/2 B, 2 v, 24 A, 41, engagement with mucosa therein A vibrating unit is 128/52 303 R, 304, 3 5 328, 5 357 operatively connected with this mucosa-engaging 15/104 16 structure to vibrate the latter so that in response to the vibratory movement the mucosa-engaging structure [56] References Cited will remove a mucosa lining, from the interior of 21 UNITED STATES PATENTS 5/1935 Sturgis l5/104.16

body cavity.

11 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures VIBRATORY MUCOSA-REMOVING TOOL CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION This application is a continuation-in-part of copending application Serial No. 359,429, filed May 11, 1973 and entitled BODY IMPLANTS AND IMPLANTING TOOL AND METHOD.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to the introduction of implants into the interior of a body cavity.

In particular, the present invention relates to a device which is adapted to be used in connection with the introduction of an implant into a body cavity.

As is well known, when an implant is introduced into the interior of the body cavity of a living being, every effort should be made to securely position the implant at the desired location. For this purpose known constructions are provided at the exterior surface of an implant in order to promote the growth of tissue into the structure at the exterior surface of the implant. Thus, the exterior surface of an implant may be provided with a suitable porous construction providing spaces into which the tissue of the wall which defines the body cavity will grow for achieving a secure connection of the implant in the body cavity. In this way it is possible to achieve an intimate bond between the wall which de fines the body cavity and the implant not only reliably securing the implant at the desired location but also achieving a fluidtight engagement between the wall which defines the body cavity and the implant.

However, it has been found from experience that where the body cavity is lined at its interior with a layer of mucosa, the presence of this mucosa layer retards the ingrowth of tissue into the structure at the exterior of the implant for promoting the ingrowth of tissue. It has been found that when the mucosa layer is removed at the inner surface which engages the tissue-ingrowth means, the tissue ingrowth takes place with far greater speed and in a far superior manner.

However, problems have been encountered in connection with the removal of the mucosa lining at the inner body cavity surface which engages the ingrowth means.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is accordingly a primary object of the present invention to provide a device which will enable the mucosa lining to be removed effectively at the inner body cavity surface which is to engage the tissue-ingrowth means.

In particular, it is an object of the present invention to provide a tool which can be conveniently used for the purpose of removing the mucosa lining.

It is particularly an object of the present invention to provide a tool which will be capable of effectively removing in an extremely short time and in the most convenient manner mucosa from the area which is to be occupied by the means for promoting the ingrowth of tissue.

Also, it is an object of the present invention to provide avdevice of the above type which can be power driven from a suitable source of energy so that the surgeon need not rely upon his own manipulations for a source of energy to bring about an effective removal of the mucosa lining.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS The invention is illustrated by way of example in the accompanying drawings which form ,part of this application and in which:

FIG. 1 is an elevation of one embodiment of a device according to the invention shown in FIG. 1 in a position engaging the interior of the body cavity of a schematically illustrated organ of a living body;

FIG. 2 is an elevation of a different embodiment of the construction of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 shows a construction similar to that of FIG. 1 but driven from a different source of energy; and

FIG. 4 is an elevation of a further embodiment of a device according to the invention also shown schematically in FIG. 4 in engagement with a mucosa lining at the interior of a body cavity.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Referring to FIG. 1, there is schematically illustrated, as an example of a body cavity, a portion of a vas deferens 10 which, as is well known, has an interior lumen 12 lined with a mucosa layer 14. In connection with introduction of an implant into the cavity 12 of the organ 10, an incision 16 is made. The implant may take the form, for example, of a valve which is small enough to be introduced into the lumen 12 so as to provide the capability of reversibly interrupting the flow of spermcarrying fluid. This valve is provided at its exterior with a means for promoting the ingrowth of tissue at the elongated portions of the lumen 12 immediately adjacent to the incision 16. In order to remove the mucosa lining 14 at the surface which will surround and engage the tissueingrowth means, the device 18 of the present invention is used. This device 18 includes a mucosaengaging means 20 which in the illustrated example is in the form of an elongated reamer having the coaxial elongated portions 22 which extends simultaneously into the lumen 12 at the regions thereof which extend in opposite directions from the incision 16. These coaxial elongated portions 22 of the mucosa-engaging means 20 have irregular exterior surfaces provided with edges which when engaging the mucosa lining 14 will remove the latter upon suitable movement of the means 20 in the lumen 12. For this purpose a vibrating means 24 is operatively connected with the means 20. Thus, the mucosa-engaging means 20 has a stem 26 fixed to and projecting perpendicularly from the coaxial interconnected portions 22 of the mucosa-engaging means 20, and this stem 26 is operatively connected in any suitable way with the vibrating means 24. Thus it will be seen that in the example of FIG. 1 the mucosaengaging means 20 has a T-shaped configuration enabling the portions 22 to simultaneously engage mucosa linings in the portions of the lumen which respectively extend in opposite directions from the incision 16.

The vibrating means 24 may be in the form of an electric motor connected by an electrically conductive cable 28 to any suitable source of electrical current. Thus the cable 28 may terminate in a plug to be introduced into a wall outlet. The motor of the vibrating means 24 is connected through a known transmission to the stem 26 so as to reciprocate the latter and the remainder of the mucosa-engaging means 20 back and forth in the direction of the common axis of the portions 22. The details of the structure of the vibrating means are well known and can take many different forms. For example the electric motor may drive a rotary crank which carries at its outer end a slide block received in a slot of a plate mounted in the housing of the vibrating means for reciprocating movement to the right and left, as viewed in FIG. 1, this plate being connected in any suitable way to the stem 26 and the slot in the plate extending perpendicularly to the plane of FIG. 1 while the axis of rotation of the motor-driven crank coincides with the axis of the stem 26. Thus as the crank rotates the slide block which is freely turnable on the free end of the crank will move back and forth along the slot while shifting the plate to the right and left to provide in this way the desired vibratory movement.

Thus, with this construction prior to insertion of the implant the mucosa-engaging means 20 is introduced to engage the mucosa lining as illustrated in FIG. 1. Then the vibrating means 24 is connected to the source of current, and a suitable switch may be provided for this purpose. As a result the mucosa-engaging means 20 will be rapidly reciprocated to the left and right, as viewed in FIG. 1, along the common axis of the portions 22. As a result of this vibratory movement the exterior edges at the irregular exterior surface of the portions 22 will engage the mucosalining and remove it at the areas of the irregular exterior surfaces of the portions 22. These areas will be subsequently occupied by the tissue ingrowth means. Thus after the mucosa is removed the device of the invention is removed and the implant. is then introduced.

As may be seen from FIG. 2, instead of providing an incision 16 it is possible to out completely through the vas so as to provide it with a pair of separated portions a and 10b. In this case it is convenient to use a device 30 constructed in accordance with the present invention. This device 30 is identical with the device 18 of FIG. 1 except that there is only one elongated portion 22 extending perpendicularly from the stem 26. Thus in the embodiment of FIG. 2 the mucosa-engaging means is of a L-shaped configuration. The portion 22 is also reciprocated back and forth along its axis in order to remove the mucosa in the manner described above. After the mucosa has been removed from the portion 10a of the vas, the portion 22 of the mucosaremoving means 20 is introduced into the vas portion 10b so as to remove the mucosa layer 14 from the lumen thereof at the region adjacent the left free end of the portion 10b, as viewed in FIG. 2. Thus, while it is indeed possible to use the device 30 of FIG. 2 with an organ having an incision 16 as shown in FIG. 1, it is preferred to use the device 18 of FIG. 1 since with this device the mucosa will be simultaneously removed at the opposed portions of the lumen which extend in opposite directions from the incision 16.

FIG. 3 illustrates an embodiment of the invention which is very similar to that of FIG. 1. Thus in FIG. 3 the mucosa-engaging means 20 is identical with that of FIG. 1. However, in this case the vibrating means 32 has a battery housing portion 34 in which batteries are located for driving the motor from which the vibratory movement back and forth along the common axis of portions 22 is derived. Therefore in this case the vibrating means is self-contained and need not be connected with a source of electricity by way of a conductor 28 as is the case with FIG. 1.

According to the embodiment of the invention which is illustrated in FIG. 4, the mucosa-engaging means 36 is in the form of an elongated straight rod having the portion 38 which corresponds to the portion 22. This mucosa-engaging means 36 is connected to the vibrating means 40 which vibrates the mucosa-engaging means 36 back and forth along its axis. With this embodiment of the invention at the incision 16 of the vas 10 the lumen 12 is rendered accessible in the manner illustrated and the mucosa-engaging means 36 is inserted as illustrated to remove the mucosa lining 14 in the manner illustrated for the part of the lumen at the left side of the incision 16. Then the part of the lumen at the right side thereof is treated in the same way. Thus with the simple construction of FIG. 4 the entire mucosa-engaging means has a single straight longitudinally extending axis. In the case of a motor driven crank at the vibrating means 40, the crank has a slide block extending into a slot which extends perpendicularly to the axis of the mucosa-engaging means 36 and which is in a plate supported for sliding movement back and forth in the direction of the axis of the mucosa-engaging means 36.

Thus, with all of the above-described embodiements of the invention it is possible in a simple manner to effectively remove mucosa at that part of the inner body cavity surface which will surround and engage the tissueingrowth means of the implant.

While in the above example the invention has been shown as applied to a body cavity which forms part of the vas deferens, it is of course apparent that the device of the invention may be used at any body cavity where an implant is to be situated and where it is advantageous to remove the mucosa layer so as to enhance the ingrowth of tissue.

What is claimed is:

1. For use in connection with introduction of an implant into a mucosa-lined body cavity in the form of a tubular vessel, mucosa-engaging means having an elongated portion of a substantially uniform cross-sectional dimension small enough for insertion into the tubular vessel into engagement with the mucosa lining, said elongated portion of said mucosa-engaging means having at its exterior surface which is adapted to engage the mucosa lining a means for removing the mucosa lining in response to movement of said means at said exterior surface of said elongated portion with respect to the mucosa lining, and vibrating means operatively connected with said mucosa-engaging means for vibrating the latter to provide at said means at said exterior surface of said elongated portion of said mucosaengaging means a vibratory movement derived from said vibrating means to remove with said means at said exterior surface of said elongated portion of said mucosa-engaging means a mucosa lining engaged by said means at said exterior surface of said elongated portion of said mucosa-engaging means.

2. The combination of claim 1, said vibrating means being operatively connected with said mucosaengaging means for reciprocating the latter back and forth along said axis.

3. The combination of claim 2 and wherein said means at said exterior surface of said elongated portion of said mucosa-engaging means has an irregular exterior surface provided with edges which engage the mucosa to remove the latter during vibratory movement of said means at said exterior surface of said elongated portion of said mucosa-engaging means.

4. The combination of claim 3 and wherein the body cavity is the lumen of an elongated tubular part of the body, and said elongated portion of said mucosaengaging means having a diameter small enough to be received in the lumen with the exterior surface of said mucosa-engaging means circumferentially surrounded by and engaging the mucosa lining all around the axis of said mucosa-engaging means so that during vibratory movement of the latter the mucosa is circumferentially removed entirely around the axis of the lumen over a length thereof corresponding to the length of said mucosa-engaging means.

5. The combination of claim 4 and wherein said vibrating means is electrically operated.

6. The combination of claim 5 and wherein said electrically operated vibrating means has an elongated conductor adapted to be connected with a source of electricity.

7. The combination of claim 5 and wherein said vibrating means is battery driven.

8. The combination of claim 3 and wherein said mucosa-engaging means has a stem operatively connected with said vibrating means and said elongated portion extending perpendicularly from said stern and adapted to be received in the body cavity.

9. The combination of claim 8 and wherein said stem and elongated portion of said mucosa-engaging means provide the latter with an L-shaped configuration.

10. For use in connection with introduction of an implant into a mucosa-lined body cavity, mucosaengaging means having a size and configuration suited for insertion into the body cavity into engagement with the mucosa lining, vibrating means operatively connected with said mucosa-engaging means for vibrating the latter, and said mucosa-engaging means responding to the vibratory movement derived from said vibrating means to remove a mucosa lining engaged by said mucosa-engaging means, said mucosa-engaging means having an elongated configuration and has an exterior mucosa-engaging surface surrounding a longitudinal axis of said mucosa-engaging means, said vibrating means being operatively connected with said mucosaengaging means for reciprocating the latter back and forth along said axis, said mucosa-engaging means having an irregular exterior surface provided with edges which engage the mucosa to remove the latter during vibratory movement of said mucosa-engaging means, said mucosa-engaging means having a stem operatively connected with said vibrating means and an elongated portion extending perpendicularly from said stem and sdapted to be received in the body cavity, said mucosaengaging means having a pair of said elongated portion extending perpendicularly from said stem in opposite directions and having a common axis so that said mucosa-engaging means is of a T-shaped configuration and is adapted to be situated with said oppositely directed elongated portions thereof in cavity portions which extend in opposition directions from said stem for simultaneously removing mucosa from a pair of body cavity portions between which said stem is located.

11. The combination of claim 3 and wherein said mucosa-engaging means is in the form of a single elongated body connected at one end to said vibrating means and having an extension projecting coaxially from said one end and provided with the exterior irregular surface for engaging and removing mucosa. 

1. For use in connection with introduction of an implant into a mucosa-lined body cavity in the form of a tubular vessel, mucosaengaging means having an elongated portion of a substantially uniform cross-sectional dimension small enough for insertion into the tubular vessel into engagement with the mucosa lining, said elongated portion of said mucosa-engaging means having at its exterior surface which is adapted to engage the mucosa lining a means for removing the mucosa lining in response to movement of said means at said exterior surface of said elongated portion with respect to the mucosa lining, and vibrating means operatively connected with said mucosa-engaging means for vibrating the latter to provide at said means at said exterior surface of said elongated portion of said mucosa-engaging means a vibratory movement derived from said vibrating means to remove with said means at said exterior surface of said elongated portion of said mucosa-engaging means a mucosa lining engaged by said means at said exterior surface of said elongated portion of said mucosa-engaging means.
 2. The combination of claim 1, said vibrating means being operatively connected with said mucosa-engaging means for reciprocating the latter back and forth along said axis.
 3. The combination of claim 2 and wherein said means at said exterior surface of said elongated portion of said mucosa-engaging means has an irregular exterior surface provided with edges which engage the mucosa to remove the latter during vibratory movement of said means at said exterior surface of said elongated portion of said mucosa-engaging means.
 4. The combination of claim 3 and wherein the body cavity is the lumen of an elongated tubular part of the body, and said elongated portion of said mucosa-engaging means having a diameter small enough to be received in the lumen with the exterior surface of said mucosa-engaging means circumferentially surrounded by and engaging the mucosa lining all around the axis of said mucosa-engaging means so that during vibratory movement of the latter the mucosa is circumferentially removed entirely around the axis of the lumen over a length thereof corresponding to the length of said mucosa-engaging means.
 5. The combination of claim 4 and wherein said vibrating means is electrically operated.
 6. The combination of claim 5 and wherein said electrically operated vibrating means has an elongated conductor adapted to be connected with a source of electricity.
 7. The combination of claim 5 and wherein said vibrating means is battery driven.
 8. The combination of claim 3 and wherein said mucosa-engaging mEans has a stem operatively connected with said vibrating means and said elongated portion extending perpendicularly from said stem and adapted to be received in the body cavity.
 9. The combination of claim 8 and wherein said stem and elongated portion of said mucosa-engaging means provide the latter with an L-shaped configuration.
 10. For use in connection with introduction of an implant into a mucosa-lined body cavity, mucosa-engaging means having a size and configuration suited for insertion into the body cavity into engagement with the mucosa lining, vibrating means operatively connected with said mucosa-engaging means for vibrating the latter, and said mucosa-engaging means responding to the vibratory movement derived from said vibrating means to remove a mucosa lining engaged by said mucosa-engaging means, said mucosa-engaging means having an elongated configuration and has an exterior mucosa-engaging surface surrounding a longitudinal axis of said mucosa-engaging means, said vibrating means being operatively connected with said mucosa-engaging means for reciprocating the latter back and forth along said axis, said mucosa-engaging means having an irregular exterior surface provided with edges which engage the mucosa to remove the latter during vibratory movement of said mucosa-engaging means, said mucosa-engaging means having a stem operatively connected with said vibrating means and an elongated portion extending perpendicularly from said stem and sdapted to be received in the body cavity, said mucosa-engaging means having a pair of said elongated portion extending perpendicularly from said stem in opposite directions and having a common axis so that said mucosa-engaging means is of a T-shaped configuration and is adapted to be situated with said oppositely directed elongated portions thereof in cavity portions which extend in opposition directions from said stem for simultaneously removing mucosa from a pair of body cavity portions between which said stem is located.
 11. The combination of claim 3 and wherein said mucosa-engaging means is in the form of a single elongated body connected at one end to said vibrating means and having an extension projecting coaxially from said one end and provided with the exterior irregular surface for engaging and removing mucosa. 